
20 men aged between 35 and 65 with a waist measurement of 100 cm (or more) and/or a body mass index above 28 took part in this joint project stage by the German Cancer Support organisation and Bayer 04.
The success of the whole group says volumes about the project: Some participants achieved large reductions in body weight. The change is not only evident on the scales or in the waist measurement but also in the improved lifestyle, increased fitness and healthy diet. "A big compliment to the trainers who carefully introduced the participants to sporting activities," said Meinolf Sprink looking back at the weekly sports sessions run by Christoph Binot, Kai Braun, Dirk Diekmann and Frank Linde.
The course is now over but the group will continue to meet. "FFIT has shown how a club can help build a sense of togetherness in such a great way amongst the fans taking part, which also leads to high personal achievements," said Sprink. The group will continue to meet in the future on a regular basis to play football and they will continue to enjoy the support of Bayer 04.
Other courses are planned both for overweight men and also, for the first time, for female Bayer 04 fans.

From the 2027/28 season, the Women’s Bundesliga will be organised by an independent league association. Following the unanimous decision taken at the DFB Bundestag (national conference) on Friday afternoon, the league’s separation from the DFB is now official.
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Following the Bundesliga clash against RB Leipzig (Sunday, 20 September, 15:30 CEST), some of the Werkself first team players will be heading off for the first international break of the season. Here is an overview of the Bayer 04 players called up for their national teams and all the details of their upcoming matches.
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A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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